Megan Fox, GLAMOUR coverstar alumni, has opened up about body dysmorphia and struggling to “love” her body.
The star told Sports Illustrated, in an interview or its 2023 swimsuit edition, that “I have body dysmorphia. I don’t ever see myself the way other people see me.” The actor admitted that “There is never a point in my life where I loved my body, ever ever,” and reflected that it's a “never-ending” journey to love herself.
She recalled that “when I was little, that was an obsession I had of like, ‘I should look this way?’”, reflecting that “it definitely wasn't environmental because I grew up in a very religious environment where bodies weren't even acknowledged.”
Megan Fox also spoke about body dysmorphia with British GQ in 2021, saying "I have body dysmorphia. I have a lot of deep insecurities. We may look at somebody and think, 'That person's so beautiful. Their life must be so easy.' They most likely don't feel that way about themselves," she told the outlet."
“We don't care”.
In her GLAMOUR cover interview, Megan told us that “I’d like to be remembered as somebody who was brave, who was unafraid to explore and become myself, regardless of anyone else’s commentary. But I also want my legacy eventually to be someone who helped others, either helped others to find themselves in a similar way or helped others to feel love, to feel self-love and to be able to give that love to their own children and to their own family. Because that spreads, obviously. And that’s what we’re all missing right now.” By opening up about body dysmorphia, she is helping to spread awareness and normalise the condition.
What is body dysmorphia?
According to the NHS, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), or body dysmorphia, is a ‘mental health condition where a person spends a lot of time worrying about flaws in their appearance. These flaws are often unnoticeable to others.’
Symptoms of BDD can include:
- worry a lot about a specific area of your body (particularly your face)
- spend a lot of time comparing your looks with other people's
- look at yourself in mirrors a lot or avoid mirrors altogether
- go to a lot of effort to conceal flaws – for example, by spending a long time combing your hair, applying make-up or choosing clothes
- pick at your skin to make it “smooth”
Mental health charity Mind elaborate, listing the following as symptoms:
- Experience obsessive worries about one or more perceived flaws in your physical appearance, and the flaw can't be seen by others or appears very slight
- Develop compulsive and repetitive behaviours and routines, such as excessive use of mirrors or picking your skin, to deal with the worries you have about the way you look
- Experience significant disruption to your daily life as a result of these worries and behaviours, such as avoiding social situations
Mind note that “Many people with BDD don't seek help because they're worried that people will judge them or think they're ‘vain’. This means that many people with BDD are likely to experience it for a long time before seeking support.”
